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ED FTH FI
EW! ION N IT
Premold Corp.
5657 Frontier Road Oconomowoc, WI 53066
Section II
Section III
Section IV
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RIM Materials
Our polyurethane materials perform similar to ABS materials. We can offer the highest UL rating, UL 94 V-0, at a thin 1/8 wall thickness. We process the best rigid RIM materials on the market. They are formulated to provide good stiffness, impact and strength-to-weight ratio for covers and enclosures. They are more notch sensitive than ABS. Therefore, please allow sufficient radii in load bearing corners. We also offer rigid foamed materials if you need thermal insulation, acoustic control, or weight reduction. These materials can be molded in wall thicknesses up to 1.5. Polyurethane materials have excellent resistance to most chemicals.
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Gating:
Polyurethane RIM parts are normally edge gated. The dam gate is a common edge gating method. The iso and poly mixture leaves the mix head and flows through the after mixer in the mold at high velocity. The mixture continues through the runner until it comes to the dam gate (see Fig. 2). The dam gates purpose is to spread out the flow front and slow it down. The resin mixture must enter the mold in a laminar flow condition. The low viscosity mixture can easily fill large parts containing fine details. This is accomplished using low pressures (25 to 50 psi) and low temperatures (90 to 100 degrees F).
Figure 2 Resin Flow Into a Mold
Figure 3 A typical RIM mold configuration with peanut aftermixer, dam gate, and vents
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The resin is injected at the bottom of the mold and air is vented out the top (see Fig. 4A). For this reason, RIM presses are designed to tilt the molds (see Fig. 4B). Some presses tilt more than one direction. This allows maximum design freedom for both parts and mold. Premold Corp. personnel can advise you on gating and venting.
Figure 4B
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Ball End Mill Diameter (In) A raised rib on the part requires a groove cut into the mold. The width and height of the rib are the main factors determining the cost and feasibility of machining the groove directly into the mold. Remember the mill bit cuts a full radius end on the groove. See Figure 6. Therefore, it is more economical if you can allow full radii on the ends of your ribs. In general, the larger the radius and the wider the rib, the faster the machining of the mold can be done and with less programming time.
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Wall Thickness:
Design guidelines for rigid RIM materials are very similar to thermoplastic materials. This makes it easy to design RIM parts without having to learn new techniques. RIM polyurethane parts have wall thicknesses similar to thermoplastic parts (0.060 to 0.250). However, RIM parts can be molded to wall thicknesses as high as 1.5. Our resins are also much more forgiving of variations in wall thickness. Minimum wall thicknesses to achieve UL 94 V0 and 5V ratings are typically 0.125. Consult Premold personnel for the specific requirements of each resin. If thicker walls are required or insulation properties are desired, it is easy to insert-mold different materials during the molding process. The best design practice is to maintain uniform wall thicknesses. Thick areas can be cored out to help achieve this. Ribs and bosses achieve the design features needed without adding unnecessary material (see Fig 7).
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Draft:
Every vertical surface of the part needs a draft angle to allow demolding of the part. Draft of 3 degrees with respect to the direction of draw is best. Draft is especially important on interior walls because parts shrink as they cure. Draft angles as low as 0.25 degrees or 1 degree can be used depending on the mold material. Low draft angles need to be applied with care. Consult Premold Corp. before you plan for these low draft angles.
Ribs:
Ribs should be thinner than the walls they adjoin. Their thickness, including fillet radii, should be no more than 75 percent of the adjoining walls thickness (see Fig. 8). Thicker ribs can be used but sink marks may appear on the surface opposite the rib. In general, RIM polyurethane resins do not sink as readily as thermoplastic resins.
Ribs should be at least 0.060 thick. This is best for machining the mold and for molding the parts. Ribs this thin should be less than 0.125 in height. Ribs can be very tall (more than 4) if the base of the rib is at least 0.188 thick, adequate draft is allowed and the top of the rib is at least 0.060 thick.
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Try to avoid ribs running perpendicular to the flow direction of the resin. The diagonal ribs shown in Fig. 10 are preferred over the bidirectional ribs. The bidirectional ribs would cause turbulence in the resin as it fills the mold. The turbulence would entrap air, resulting in voids in the surfaces of the part. Voids in the part surface require secondary labor to fill.
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Bosses:
Bosses can be molded-in to reduce the number of parts required in an assembly. Incorporating them into the molded part also makes mating parts less costly. Bosses located on a side wall should be incorporated into the wall (see Fig. 11). Avoid thick walls sections caused by locating bosses along walls.
Bosses located close to walls should be connected to the wall with ribs. This allows air to escape the boss during molding. Gusset ribs are needed on at least 2 sides of isolated bosses. This vents air out allowing resin to completely fill the boss. The ribs can be machined off after molding if required (see Fig. 12).
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All bosses must have fillet radii at their bases. Bosses must be cored out their entire height to prevent sink marks on the opposite surface. Make the walls of the boss no more than 75 percent of the nominal wall thickness (see Fig. 13) Some compromises may have to be made when designing bosses for threaded inserts or self tapping screws. This is discussed in the Inserts section of this guide. It is preferable to core the holes rather than drill them. Molding forms a skin on the surface of the part that gives screws and inserts greater holding strength.
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Tool costs can be minimized if slots or grooves can extend around corners (see Fig. 15).
Slots can also be formed on sloping walls with minimal tool cost (see Fig. 16).
Figure 16
Slots, grooves, and ribs should be oriented in the flow direction of the resin (see Fig. 17). This minimizes air entrapment caused by turbulent flow around these features. They must have fillet radii or chamfers around them for easier flow, venting, and to eliminate stress concentrations.
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Figure 18 shows good proportions to use for slots to ensure good tool life and rigidity of the part.
These are general guidelines to be used for overlap joints in most parts. Consult with Premold Corp. for variations from these guidelines. The minimum wall thickness (t) is normally 0.060. In thin walled parts, the side walls may have to be thicker than the rest of the walls to make t/2 thick enough. Each corner should use the largest radius possible. The minimum radius is t/6. Here are some guidelines for overlap distance v: Size of Part (length of parts perimeter) <10 10 - 20 20 - 60 >60
2007 Premold Corp.
Tongue and groove joints can be used to fully locate one plastic part relative to another. The inside portion of the groove can be localized as shown in Figure 20 or it can be continuous around the entire perimeter of the part. Use the guidelines shown in Figures 19 and 20. Allow clearances between the tongue and groove for tolerances and paint thicknesses. Allow more clearances if the tongue and groove feature extends around most of the parts perimeters. These joint designs help control the horizontal or X and Y direction locations of mating parts. Fasteners or other clamping methods should be used to control the vertical or Z direction locations. The number of fasteners and their spacing depends on the size of the part and your design goals. Tall, deep section parts usually need fewer fasteners. Shallow parts may need more fasteners. Premold Corp. can help you with the details.
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We recommend S to be a minimum of .050 typical. We recommend width to height ratios of at least 2. The radii should be at least equal to half the height. Larger radii are better. Chamfers can be used if they are at least 30 degrees off vertical. We recommend the width to be at least .060 and the radii to be at least .031 to minimize machining costs. The inside or outside corners of the letters and logo in Figure 22A should have radii to minimize machining costs and part costs. Whether its the inside or the outside corners depends on if you use raised or recessed characters. Premold Corp. can help you with the details to ensure the most cost effective design.
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Undercuts:
We all try to avoid undercuts in plastic part design. However, sometimes it is very cost effective for the part to feature an undercut. Undercuts are easier to tool and mold in the RIM process. If by-pass cores cannot be designed into the part, loose piece cores can be set into the mold and ejected with the part (see Fig. 23).
Molded in hooks can speed assembly time and save the cost of hardware (see Fig. 25). They can be used to attach component parts, PC boards, tubing, electrical wires, etc. They can often be molded in with by-pass cores.
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Insert Size 4-40 6-32 8-32 10-24 10-32 1/4-20 M3.0 x 0.5 M3.5 x 0.6 M4.0 x 0.7 M5.0 x 0.8 M6.0 x 1.0
Insert Length (in.) .172 or .234 .218 or .281 .250 or .328 .296 or .375 .296 or .375 .375 or .484 .172 or .234 .218 or .281 .250 or .328 .296 or .375 .375 or 0.484
Hole Dia. (in.) .156 .198 .230 .270 .270 .343 .156 .198 .230 .270 .343
Preferred Boss OD (in.) .360 .430 .490 .560 .560 .650 .360 .430 .490 .560 .650
These hole diameters are minimums. Draft of 0.25 degrees per side should be added to them. Hole depths should be at least 0.120 deeper than the length of the insert. Do not use Loctite or nylon patch thread locking screws with threaded inserts. These will cause the inserts to turn out if you try to remove the screws. Do not allow rotation of the part being fastened against the threaded inserts. This will allow the insert to be turned into or out of the plastic part. Self tapping screws can be used in rigid polyurethane parts. Thread cutting style screws must be used. If the screws will be removed and reinstalled more than 5 times over the life of the part, it is best to use threaded inserts. A good rule of thumb is to use a hole diameter equal to the average of the screws major and minor diameters. This diameter should be held at the mid point of the screw engagement length. The hole diameter should have 0.25 degree of draft per side. Therefore, the radial thread engagement will be a little more than 50% below the mid point of the screw engagement length and a little less than 50% above it. Thread engagement length should be at least two times the diameter of the screw.
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When using threaded inserts or self tapping screws, provide radial clearance around screw heads and shanks to allow for manufacturing tolerances. See Figure 26.
Incorrect, no radial clearance around head and shank of screw allows for no hole to hole tolerance
Correct, radial clearance around head and shank of screw allows hole to hole tolerance
It is important that mating parts bear against the ends of the threaded inserts installed in RIM molded plastic parts. If the mating parts hole diameter is larger than the OD of the threaded insert, the machine screw will pull the threaded insert out of the plastic part. The plastic cannot overcome the mechanical advantage of the screw thread as the screw is tightened. See Fig. 27.
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Insert Molding:
The low pressures, temperatures and viscosities of our RIM resins make it easy to insert mold or encapsulate components in RIM parts. The main criteria for the insert are: - able to withstand 25 to 50 psi - able to withstand 250 degrees F for short period of time during chemical reaction of resin - will not be damaged by low viscosity resin flowing around it Another important consideration when designing for insert molding is the shrink rate of the polyurethane resin. Most insert materials will resist shrink during molding. This can cause excessive internal stress or warp in some parts. Premold Corp. has the experience to help you avoid these problems.
Texture Painting:
Texture painting is done by spraying small drops of paint into the part after a basecoat of paint has been applied to completely cover the part. The size, height and population density of the small drops of paint must be specified. This is usually done by the customer providing a sample of a texture they want Premold Corp. to match. Texture standards used in the mold making industry can also be used to specify texture. In general, the smaller the paint drop and the higher their population density on the surface of the part, the more it costs to texture the part. The smallest practical paint spray texture is MT11020. Sample panels called Q panels are commonly used as inspection standards to check paint texture.
Color Matching:
Paint color is best established by providing Premold Corp. a sample of the color you want to match with your painted part. We have our paint supplier color scan the sample to determine the exact blend of paint required to match it. Pantone numbers can be used for color matching but are not always accurate. The Pantone color system was developed for, and is used, in the printing industry for inks on paper substrates. It can give different results when using paints on plastic. Metallic paint colors and specifications can range from relatively basic to extremely complex. The more metal flake and other ingredients in the metallic paint the more the painted parts appearance varies with viewing angle and lighting conditions. This makes it more difficult to establish specifications and to evaluate paint appearance. Most
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metallic paints require a primer before applying the basecoat of metallic paint. These factors tend to make metallic painted parts more expensive than non-metallic parts.
Multi-Colored Parts:
If your part requires more than one color of paint, you can minimize masking and painting costs by designing a step in the part. The step serves as a guide for the operator to apply the masking tape and it provides a visual break in the surface of the part. This allows for manufacturing tolerances in the masking and painting process. See Figure 28.
Specifying Paint:
You have your choice. You can simply say color and texture to match approved Q panel or Premolds engineers can help you write a detailed paint specification. If you want a detailed specification, the important performance criteria to specify are color, gloss, texture, hardness, scuff and wear resistance, chemical resistance and UV resistance. We are familiar with the proper ways to quantify and measure each of these parameters. Our paints have proven performance for medical and laboratory instruments. You automatically get superior performance even with a simple color and texture specification.
Paint Adhesion:
Surface preparation is crucial to obtaining good paint adhesion. The parts surface must not only be clean it should not be too smooth. Premold etches all part surfaces prior to painting. We use catalyzed urethane based paints for superior performance. Our manufacturing standards for adhesion are ASTM D3359-02 Classification 4B or 5B.
Decorating:
In addition to multi-color painting, RIM parts can be silk screened or pad printed. Hot stamping is not used because RIM urethane resins are thermoset materials. A full spectrum of colors are available to silk screen onto RIM plastic parts. Pad printing is typically more expensive than silk screening. Pad printing may be required if part contours are too extreme for silk screening or if the surface to be printed is too concave. Silk screen ink colors are normally specified using Pantone numbers. Premold Corp. uses only chemical resistant, catalyzed inks for the most durable printed images.
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Consult Premold Corp. if you need smaller tolerances than these and to verify that your part design does not require larger tolerances.
Shrink Rate:
Premold Corp.s rigid urethane resins shrink 0.008 in./in. during the molding process. We compensate 0.001 in/in for the thermal expansion of aluminum and epoxy molds. You do not need to include these factors in your design. They are factored in during the CNC programming to make the mold.
Adhesive Bonding:
Our urethane resins can easily be bonded with epoxy, cynoacrylate or hot melt adhesives.
EMI Protection:
Premold has UL recognition to supply you with molded plastic parts with EMI paint applied. This protects you and reduces the work you have to do to get your products UL recognized. EMI stands for electromagnetic interference. It can be generated by electronics or power supplies in your machine or other devices can generate it and cause interference with your device. We apply a conductive paint to the inside surfaces that you specify on your part. This is the most cost effective method for providing EMI protection. Over spray of the exterior paint on top of the EMI will not diminish its effectiveness. However, if you need an electrical grounding location, let us know and we will mask the EMI surface to prevent over spray. You can minimize masking costs by being liberal with locations and tolerances. We do not recommend applying a cosmetic coat of paint over EMI paint. EMI paint is not a durable paint and the cosmetic paint will crack or chip easily.
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Plastic molding, especially the RIM process, offers you tremendous design flexibility to take advantage of these DQA features. Premold Corps engineers can help you choose from many different design features to accomplish good design-for-quality assemblies. By planning and designing quality into the parts during the design phase, you will save considerable time and money during both production start-up and during on-going production. The DQA process analyzes the critical fits and tolerances in your assemblies. Some common DQA design techniques are: - use locators to control important dimensions in an assembly. The locators should be as close as possible to the features to be controlled. - use features to support plastic walls to limit their deflection from outside loads. These will also help prevent creep. Good plastic part design and DQA accounts for four key factors: - part shrinkage during molding. - material properties of the resin. - outside forces on your plastic part. - assembly tolerances. Plastic resins shrink during the molding process. Thicker cross sections of plastic tend to shrink more than thinner cross sections. RIM materials are generally unaffected by variations in wall thickness. However, if the thickness variations are significant (and depending on part geometry) unequal shrink can cause the part to distort or warp. Premold engineers can guide you in part design to minimize the risk of warp. The most commonly overlooked plastic material property is creep. The resins we use at Premold Corp. are very structural but plastics in general creep at lower temperatures and pressures than the metals to which designers are accustomed. RIM offers the capability to mold very large parts (over 24 inches long). This makes it more important to account for creep in your design. Creep is a slow dimensional change over time. It is a function of time, temperature and pressure (i.e. a force generating a stress on the part). The rate and amount of creep will increase if one or more of these factors increase. All materials creep, however creep accelerates in most plastics at lower temperatures and pressures than for metals. Premold engineers can help you determine whether creep could be a factor in your design and offer proven methods to minimize its effects. Most plastic resins are not as strong or as stiff as metals. Your plastic part may deflect when an outside force or load is applied, especially if is large (over 24 inches). Premold engineers will help you design parts that will meet your load requirements. These factors, along with the stack-up of your assemblys tolerances, can be addressed using proven DQA techniques. Premold Corp.s applications engineers will work with you to understand your product requirements and help you design parts that meet them. DQA will help you achieve welldesigned assemblies that improve your production efficiency and product quality.
Copyright:
This design guide was written by Premold Corp. with some artwork contributed by Bayer Corp.* This guide is intended for use by Premold Corp., its customers and prospective customers. It is also intended to promote knowledge and use of the RIM process. The ideas conveyed here are general guidelines to cover many different situations. Premold Corp.s engineers can assist you with your specific needs and questions. A distinct advantage of the RIM process is its ability to deviate from many of the general guidelines shown here.
*Engineering Polymers, RIM Part and Mold Design, Polyurethanes, A Design Guide (Pittsburgh, PA: Bayer corporation, 1995).
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NOTES
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PREMOLD CORP. has advanced the state-of-the-art of Reaction Injection Molding and customer service. This growth has made it possible for us to move into a new 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility. The factory is equipped with modern RIM processing equipment to serve you better.
We invite you to visit our facility and to meet our RIM and customer service experts. Let us explain how you can benefit by innovative, low cost tooling solutions for your molded plastic parts.
Please contact us at: PREMOLD CORP. 5657 Frontier Road Oconomowoc, WI 53066
Ph.: 262-569-9044 Fax: 262-569-9431 Email: engr@premoldcorp.com Web site: www.premoldcorp.com